Water Works

Ferrier Fountain, Victoria Square, Christchurch. August 2008. Ajr

The Ferrier Fountain in Victoria Square was looking lovely in yesterday’s late afternoon sun. It was erected in 1972 to mark the opening of the Christchurch Town Hall and was donated by Mr & Mrs C.J. Ferrier. It apparently resembles the El Alemain Fountain in Kings Cross, Sydney and was manufactured by the same designers.

Fern Fabulous

FERNS, Civic Square, Wellington 2007, Ajr.

It doesn’t matter how many times I stand in Wellington’s Civic Square and gaze up, I’m always inspired by Neil Dawson’s shimmering “Ferns” – a site specific orb of fern leaves suspended 14 metres above the square. Christchurch-based Dawson has an international reputation for creating exciting, site specific works, among them, a major commission for the Stadium of Australia in Sydney, created for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. You can listen to Neil chatting about Ferns at http://www.ferns.co.nz/